Where to go in a tornado

Damage to the town of Reading, Kansas, on Sunday May 22, 2011, following Saturday night's tornado that killed one and destroyed homes and businesses in the town northwest of Emporia, KS. John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star
JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR

The warning sirens are still attached to the water tower in Reading, Kansas, on Sunday May 22, 2011, following Saturday night's tornado that killed one and destroyed homes and businesses in the town northwest of Emporia, KS. John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star
JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR

Damage to the town of Reading, Kansas, on Sunday May 22, 2011, following Saturday night's tornado that killed one and destroyed homes and businesses in the town northwest of Emporia, KS. John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star
JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR

Damage to the town of Reading, Kansas, on Sunday May 22, 2011, following Saturday night's tornado that killed one and destroyed homes and businesses in the town northwest of Emporia, KS. John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star
JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR

The Reading Grain and Lumber Company sits collapsed in the town of Reading, Kansas, on Sunday May 22, 2011, following Saturday night's tornado that killed one and destroyed homes and businesses in the town northwest of Emporia, KS. John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star
JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR

Damage to one of the town's churches in Reading, Kansas, is seen on Sunday May 22, 2011, following Saturday night's tornado that killed one and destroyed homes and businesses in the town northwest of Emporia, KS. John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star
JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR

The wall of the post office collapsed above the entry way in the town of Reading, Kansas, on Sunday May 22, 2011, following Saturday night's tornado that killed one and destroyed homes and businesses in the town northwest of Emporia, KS. John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star
JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR

Damage to the town of Reading, Kansas, on Sunday May 22, 2011, following Saturday night's tornado that killed one and destroyed homes and businesses in the town northwest of Emporia, KS. John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star
JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR

Damage to the town of Reading, Kansas, on Sunday May 22, 2011, following Saturday night's tornado that killed one and destroyed homes and businesses in the town northwest of Emporia, KS. John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star
JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR

Damage to the town of Reading, Kansas, on Sunday May 22, 2011, following Saturday night's tornado that killed one and destroyed homes and businesses in the town northwest of Emporia, KS. John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star
JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR

The Reading Grain and Lumber Company sits collapsed in the town of Reading, Kansas, on Sunday May 22, 2011, following Saturday night's tornado that killed one and destroyed homes and businesses in the town northwest of Emporia, KS. John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star
JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR

A vehicle damaged in the town of Reading, Kansas, on Sunday May 22, 2011, following Saturday night's tornado that killed one and destroyed homes and businesses in the town northwest of Emporia, KS. John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star
JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR

The Reading Grain and Lumber Company sits collapsed in the town of Reading, Kansas, on Sunday May 22, 2011, following Saturday night's tornado that killed one and destroyed homes and businesses in the town northwest of Emporia, KS. John Sleezer/The Kansas City StarStar
JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR

Damage to the town of Reading, Kansas, on Sunday May 22, 2011, following Saturday night's tornado that killed one and destroyed homes and businesses in the town northwest of Emporia, KS. John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star
JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR

Reta Jackson, who owns The Miracle Cafe fights back tears as she puts on her gloves to go back to work cleaning up the damage to her cafe in the town of Reading, Kansas, on Sunday May 22, 2011, following Saturday night's tornado that killed one and destroyed homes and businesses in the town northwest of Emporia, KS. John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star
JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR

The Miracle Cafe, owned by Reta Jackson, is surrounded by debris as it was also damaged in the town of Reading, Kansas, on Sunday May 22, 2011, following Saturday night's tornado that killed one and destroyed homes and businesses in the town northwest of Emporia, KS. John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star
JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR

The Miracle Cafe, owned by Reta Jackson, is surrounded by debris as it was also damaged in the town of Reading, Kansas, on Sunday May 22, 2011, following Saturday night's tornado that killed one and destroyed homes and businesses in the town northwest of Emporia, KS. John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star
JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR

Damage to one of the town's churches in Reading, Kansas, is seen on Sunday May 22, 2011, following Saturday night's tornado that killed one and destroyed homes and businesses in the town northwest of Emporia, KS. John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star
JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR

Damage to the town of Reading, Kansas, on Sunday May 22, 2011, following Saturday night's tornado that killed one and destroyed homes and businesses in the town northwest of Emporia, KS. John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star
JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR

Damage to the town of Reading, Kansas, on Sunday May 22, 2011, following Saturday night's tornado that killed one and destroyed homes and businesses in the town northwest of Emporia, KS. John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star
JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR

Damage to the town of Reading, Kansas, on Sunday May 22, 2011, following Saturday night's tornado that killed one and destroyed homes and businesses in the town northwest of Emporia, KS. John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star
JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR

Damage to the town of Reading, Kansas, on Sunday May 22, 2011, following Saturday night's tornado that killed one and destroyed homes and businesses in the town northwest of Emporia, KS. John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star
JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR

Damage to the town of Reading, Kansas, on Sunday May 22, 2011, following Saturday night's tornado that killed one and destroyed homes and businesses in the town northwest of Emporia, KS. John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star
JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR

Damage to the town of Reading, Kansas, on Sunday May 22, 2011, following Saturday night's tornado that killed one and destroyed homes and businesses in the town northwest of Emporia, KS. John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star
JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR

Damage to the Reading Grain and Lumber Company is surveyed in the town of Reading, Kansas, on Sunday May 22, 2011, following Saturday night's tornado that killed one and destroyed homes and businesses in the town northwest of Emporia, KS. John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star
JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR

A truck outside the Reading Grain and Lumber Company shows the signs of damage in the town of Reading, Kansas, on Sunday May 22, 2011, following Saturday night's tornado that killed one and destroyed homes and businesses in the town northwest of Emporia, KS. John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star
JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR

Damage to the town of Reading, Kansas, on Sunday May 22, 2011, following Saturday night's tornado that killed one and destroyed homes and businesses in the town northwest of Emporia, KS. John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star
JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR

The Reading Grain and Lumber Company sits collapsed in the town of Reading, Kansas, on Sunday May 22, 2011, following Saturday night's tornado that killed one and destroyed homes and businesses in the town northwest of Emporia, KS. John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star
JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR

Damage to the town of Reading, Kansas, on Sunday May 22, 2011, following Saturday night's tornado that killed one and destroyed homes and businesses in the town northwest of Emporia, KS. John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star
JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR

Damage to the town of Reading, Kansas, on Sunday May 22, 2011, following Saturday night's tornado that killed one and destroyed homes and businesses in the town northwest of Emporia, KS. John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star
JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR

The damaged remains of the gas station in the town of Reading, Kansas, on Sunday May 22, 2011, following Saturday night's tornado that killed one and destroyed homes and businesses in the town northwest of Emporia, KS. John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star
JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR

Damage to the town of Reading, Kansas, on Sunday May 22, 2011, following Saturday night's tornado that killed one and destroyed homes and businesses in the town northwest of Emporia, KS. John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star
JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR

Damage to the town of Reading, Kansas, on Sunday May 22, 2011, following Saturday night's tornado that killed one and destroyed homes and businesses in the town northwest of Emporia, KS. John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star
JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR

Damage to the town of Reading, Kansas, on Sunday May 22, 2011, following Saturday night's tornado that killed one and destroyed homes and businesses in the town northwest of Emporia, KS. John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star
JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR

Damage to the town of Reading, Kansas, on Sunday May 22, 2011, following Saturday night's tornado that killed one and destroyed homes and businesses in the town northwest of Emporia, KS. John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star
JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR

Damage to the town of Reading, Kansas, on Sunday May 22, 2011, following Saturday night's tornado that killed one and destroyed homes and businesses in the town northwest of Emporia, KS. John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star
JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR

Damage to the town of Reading, Kansas, on Sunday May 22, 2011, following Saturday night's tornado that killed one and destroyed homes and businesses in the town northwest of Emporia, KS. John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star
JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR

Damage to the town of Reading, Kansas, on Sunday May 22, 2011, following Saturday night's tornado that killed one and destroyed homes and businesses in the town northwest of Emporia, KS. John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star
JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR

Damage to the town of Reading, Kansas, on Sunday May 22, 2011, following Saturday night's tornado that killed one and destroyed homes and businesses in the town northwest of Emporia, KS. John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star
JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR

Damage to the town of Reading, Kansas, on Sunday May 22, 2011, following a tornado that killed one and destroyed homes and businesses in the town northwest of Emporia, KS. John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star
JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR

Damage to the town of Reading, Kansas, on Sunday May 22, 2011, following Saturday night's tornado that killed one and destroyed homes and businesses in the town northwest of Emporia, KS. John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star
JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR

Damage to the town of Reading, Kansas, on Sunday May 22, 2011, following Saturday night's tornado that killed one and destroyed homes and businesses in the town northwest of Emporia, KS. John Sleezer/The Kansas City Star
JOHN SLEEZER/KANSAS CITY STAR

Joseph Fehranbacher of Kansas Search & Rescue Dog Association walks past a Dodge Neon on its nose in a basement Sunday, April 22, 2001, in Hoisington, Kan., after Saturday's night's tornado. Officials estimated the tornado struck that 20 to 25 percent of the buildings in the town of 2,900 people. (AP Photo/The Hutchinson News, Amy Roh)
AP

A firefighter walks through a second-floor bedroom of a destroyed house Sunday, April 22, 2001, in Hoisington, Kan., after a tornado ripped through the town Saturday night. (AP Photo/The Hutchinson News, Amy Roh)
AP

A mattress is wrapped around a utility pole with a damaged street sign in Hoisington, Kan., Sunday, April 22, 2001, after a tornado damaged numerous houses and killed one person Saturday night. (AP Photo/The Hutchinson News, Amy Roh)
AP

Joyce Tauscher of Hoisington, Kan., looks down at a pile of debris from what's left of her house while trying to collect her personal belongings Sunday, April 22, 2001, after a tornado swept through Hoisington Saturday night. Her husband, Gerald Tauscher, was killed by the tornado. (AP Photo/The Salina Journal, Justin Hayworth)
AP

Keith and Beverly Higgings dig through the remains of the third floor of their house in Hoisington, Kan., Sunday, April 22, 2001. Beverly, Keith and their daughter, Erin, 15, were all at the high school prom when a tornado hit Saturday. Greg Gardner, adjutant general for Kansas, said 200 buildings were destroyed by the twister, classified as an F-4, that hit this town of 2,900 people, 100 miles northwest of Wichita. Another 85 were severely damaged, and 200 more received minor to moderate damage. (AP Photo/The Salina Journal, Justin Hayworth)
AP

Bill Lebert hands an antelope bust to a friend while removing valuables from his house in Hoisington, Kan., Sunday, April 22, 2001. Lebert's house was damaged after a tornado hit Hoisington Saturday evening. (AP Photo/The Wichita Eagle, Jaime Oppenheimer)
AP

A vehicle thrown into a house is among the damage caused by Saturday's tornado in Hoisington, Kan., shown Monday, April 23, 2001. Officials estimate 200 homes were destroyed, 85 received major damaged and 200 minor damaged Saturday. Another 20 to 25 homes south of town may have also been flooded Sunday by rising water left over from the same storm system that spawned Saturday's tornado. (AP Photo/The Hutchinson News, Sandra J. Milburn)
AP

Ronna Duerson sticks her head through the window of her aunt's home, Monday, April 23, 2001, as she and her family talk about the car bumper, lower right, that was hurled into the mud splattered kitchen in Hoisington, Kan. Duerson's aunt and uncle were not injured Saturday night when a tornado destroyed their home. Family and friends from as far as Oklahoma came to help clean up. Officials estimate 200 homes were destroyed, 85 received major damaged and 200 minor damage in the storm. (AP Photo/The Hutchinson News, Sandra Milburn)
AP

Heather Nye, 17, stands next to her car in the basement of her home in Hoisington, Kan., Sunday afternoon, April 22, 2001, as her family tries to retrieve belongings from what was left of their house. Nye was at the prom when a tornado hit Saturday night and came home to find no house and her car in the basement. (AP Photo/The Salina Journal, Justin Hayworth)
AP

Wichita Beacon coverage of a February 24, 1935 tornado that hit Wichita.

Wichita Beacon coverage of a February 24, 1935 tornado that hit Wichita.

Wichita Beacon coverage of a February 24, 1935 tornado that hit Wichita.

Wichita Beacon coverage of a February 24, 1935 tornado that hit Wichita.

Wichita Beacon coverage of a February 24, 1935 tornado that hit Wichita.

Wichita Beacon coverage of a February 24, 1935 tornado that hit Wichita.

Wichita Beacon coverage of a February 24, 1935 tornado that hit Wichita.

Wichita Beacon coverage of a February 24, 1935 tornado that hit Wichita.

Wichita Beacon coverage of a February 24, 1935 tornado that hit Wichita.Wichita Beacon coverage of a February 24, 1935 tornado that hit Wichita.

Wichita Beacon coverage of a February 24, 1935 tornado that hit Wichita.

Roofers put the finishing touches on a building along Kansas Avenue in Greensburg.
File photo

The city blocks of Greensburg are slowly starting to transform back into the appearance of a normal town 2 years after an EF5 tornado struck.
The Wichita Eagle

The city blocks of Greensburg are slowly starting to transform back into the appearance of a normal town 2 years after an EF5 tornado struck.
The Wichita Eagle

The sounds of hammer and saws can be heard daily in Greensburg as the city rebuilds two years after being struck by a devastating tornado.
The Wichita Eagle

The city blocks of Greensburg are slowly starting to transform back into the appearance of a normal town 2 years after an EF5 tornado struck.
The Wichita Eagle

A contractor frames a home near a tree that still bears the scars of the EF5 tornado that leveled Greensburg on May 4, 2007. Housing and construction continues to flourish in the small, western Kansas town.
The Wichita Eagle

Greensburg Mayor Bob Dixson says the residents are still very greatful to the volunteer that came, and still continue to come, to the small western Kansas town to help them rebuild.
The Wichita Eagle

The sounds of hammer and saws can be heard daily in Greensburg as the city rebuilds two years after being struck by a devastating tornado.
The Wichita Eagle

This 360-view of Greensburg was created by stitching together multiple photos taken two years after the tornado in a city park next to the Big Well. <a href="http://www.kansas.com/testsection/story/750201-a795601-t22.html?height=370&amp;width=435">Click to watch a video version</a>.
The Wichita Eagle

Megan Gardiner surveys the Greensburg property where her home stood two years ago. Gardiner wrote a vivid description of the night of May 4, 2007, when a tornado leveled the town.
The Wichita Eagle

Megan Gardiner surveys the property that her home once stood in Greensburg two weeks ago. Gardiner wrote a vivid description of the night of May 4, 2007, when a tornado leveled the town.
The Wichita Eagle

An April 26, 1991, tornado obliterated hundreds of homes between Douglas and Central.
Fernando Salazar/File photo

Dorothy Thompson of Towanda goes in search of her cat just minutes after her home was destroyed. Seventeen tornadoes with a Fujita Scale rating of 2 or higher touched down across Kansas on April 26, 1991, according to the National Weather Service.
Wichita Eagle file photo

Mennonite volunteers searched through the rubble of the Golden Spur mobile home park in order to help recover the valuables of victims of the April 26, 1991, tornado. This rocking horse sat at the edge of the road but was not salvaged.
Wichita Eagle file photo

Members of the Lawrence family wanted their friends to know that they had survived the April 26, 1991, tornado that struck Andover. During the tornado, family members hid in the basement while their house was swept away.
File photo

Juanita Slayton, left, receives a hug from her neighbor's daughter Lisa Willis. Slayton lost her trailer home when a tornado hit her park near 55th South and Hydraulic on April 26, 1991.
Wichita Eagle file photo

Eugene Thompson of Towanda prepares to rescue one of his horses from his swimming pool minutes after a tornado passed through on April 26, 1991. The Thompson home was destroyed.
Wichita Eagle file photo

After sprinting to a waiting ambulance with the body of a victim of the April 26, 1991, tornado, a fatigued Wichita police officer David Gorges waits as another officer and volunteer make room inside the vehicle.
Wichita Eagle file photo

Debris marks the path of an April 26, 1991, tornado that tore through south Wichita.
Wichita Eagle file photo

Rescue workers help Lucille Leonard, who suffered head injuries when a tornado hit her mobile home park near 55th South and Broadway on April 26, 1991.
Wichita Eagle file photo

Debris left by the tornado that tore through Andover on April 26, 1991.
Wichita Eagle file photo

Bill Weston and Jim Fisher raise a U.S. flag that they found near where Weston's in-laws' mobile home was located in Andover's Golden Spur mobile home park, which was struck by a tornado on April 26, 1991.
Jeff Tuttle/File photo

Becky and Paul Records pause while cleaning up their house near 143rd Street East after the April 26, 1991, tornado. Many homes were damaged in their subdivision.
Wichita Eagle file photo

National Guard troops move into the ruins of the Golden Spur mobile home park in Andover to search for victims of the April 26, 1991, tornado that killed 17 people and destroyed 240 homes in the park. All those originally listed as missing were later accounted for. Bulldozers eventually cleared the 40 acres of rubble.
Wichita Eagle file photo

Lisa Willis carries her senior portrait out of the wreckage of her parents' home near 55th South and Hydraulic. The Willis' mobile home was turned upside down when an April 26, 1991, tornado struck their mobile home park.
Wichita Eagle file photo

A sign posted in front of a house in the 400 block of West 58th Street after the April 26, 1991, tornado.
Mike Hutmacher/File photo

Rescue workers deliver on-the-spot treatment to a tornado victim after a twister passed through the southeast Wichita area on April 26, 1991.
Wichita Eagle file photo

After a deadly tornado passed through the Golden Spur mobile home park April 26, 1991, heavy equipment removes large debris and damaged vehicles as rubble burns in the distance.
Wichita Eagle file photo

A temporary dump was set up near the Golden Spur mobile home park after the April 26, 1991, tornado. Among the debris were these Christmas signs.
Dave Williams/File photo

Beverly Smiley looks over the remnants of her mobile home located near 55th South and Hydraulic. The National Weather Service reported that 17 tornadoes with a Fujita Scale rating of 2 or higher touched down April 26, 1991, across Kansas.
Wichita Eagle file photo

Loren Ward, holding his son Corey, looks for his other son, Casey Williams, in the 5200 block of South Spruce in the aftermath of the April 26, 1991, tornado. Casey was later found uninjured.
Dave Williams/File photo

Davy Holden uses a chain saw on the roof of a house near Pawnee and Greenwich. Marriott co-workers Ray Macheda and Lance Darling, who lived in the house, watched from work as the April 26, 1991, tornado went through their neighborhood.
Wichita Eagle file photo

Linda Chamberlain climbs through the shattered window of her mobile home. Hers was one of the few left intact after an April 26, 1991, tornado blew through her mobile home park near 55th South and Broadway.
Wichita Eagle file photo

Michael and Teresa Warren hold each other as they walk through Andover after the April 26, 1991, tornado. They were searching for Teresa's father, who was missing after the tornado.
Wichita Eagle file photo

A southeast Wichita neighborhood was left with shredded trees and flattened homes after a tornado passed through on April 26, 1991.
Wichita Eagle file photo

Damage from the tornado that hit Andover on April 26, 1991.
Wichita Eagle file photo

A lone Golden Spur resident looks hopelessly at the massive pile of debris that used to be her home. About two days after the April 26, 1991 tornado, residents were allowed back into the park to claim any remaining valuables.
Wichita Eagle file photo

Shirley Willis tries to salvage several collections of books she had in a trailer home near 55th South and Hydraulic after the April 26, 1991, tornado.
Wichita Eagle file photo

Seventeen tornadoes with a Fujita Scale rating of 2 or higher touched down April 26, 1991, across Kansas, according to the National Weather Service. Combined, they caused 19 deaths, 239 injuries and more than $534 million in damage.
Wichita Eagle file photo

A lesson from Joplin, Mo., is that tornadoes may strike with little or no warning, hidden by rain or nearly transparent until they kick up dust and debris.

The best thing in a tornado warning is to head for a predetermined shelter or a basement. But people often are caught in unfamiliar structures and situations.

You might be shopping, visiting a nursing home, driving a car or attending a movie.

Emergency management officials recommend these basic guidelines for any building:

Get to the lowest level, find an interior room or hallway away from windows, and put as many walls between you and the storm as possible.

Flying debris is the leading cause of deaths and injuries in a tornado.

No tip can guarantee safety, though.

“Sometimes you get a weather event that is so extreme you can follow all the recommended practices and still not be safe,” said Randy Duncan, Sedgwick County Emergency Management director.

Here are tips for a variety of situations.

VEHICLES

Don’t try to outrun a tornado. If a tornado is visible far away and the traffic is light, you may able to drive out of its path by moving at right angles to the storm. Otherwise park the car as quickly as possible out of traffic, get out immediately, and head for nearest sturdy building, or lie flat in a ditch or low-lying area. If driving into flying debris, pull over and park. After that, the National Weather Service offers these options as a last resort: Stay in the vehicle with your seat belt on. Put your head down below the windows, covering your head with your hands and a blanket if possible.

If you can safely get to a spot that is lower than the level of the roadway, get out of the car and lie in that area, covering your head with your hands.

Don’t take shelter under overpasses. Deadly airborne debris can easily be blown into those areas.

Drivers may purchase “all-hazard” radios or hand-held devices that offer weather radar capabilities, to determine if there are storms ahead.

LARGE STORES

These are generally built of lightweight materials, said John F. Crosby, deputy director of Sedgwick County Emergency Management. They may meet code, but aren’t adequate protection in tornado conditions. Also, the many loose items inside any large store can turn into deadly missiles in a tornado.

People who go to large stores on days when severe weather is expected need to keep those warnings in mind. If they are in a store when a tornado is coming toward it, the only option is to find cover outside in a ditch or low-lying area, Duncan said.

People may seek shelter inside the store in restrooms or storage rooms. But those spaces won’t hold many people and aren’t adequate protection in EF-4 or EF-5 tornadoes, Duncan said. The best thing is to stay home if severe weather is expected.

HIGH-RISE APARTMENTS, OFFICE BUILDINGS

If there is no basement, or no time to get to a basement or to the lowest floor, pick a place in a hallway in the center of the building.

Central stairways are good if they are enclosed by concrete, not glass. Elevators are not good places to go because buildings could lose power.

Stay away from glass walls and windows, no matter how small.

Crouch as low as possible to the floor, facing down, and cover your head with your hands.

HOUSES OR OTHER SMALL STRUCTURES

Homeowners should prepare a safe place to go in tornado warnings. If there is no basement, go to a center hallway, bathroom or closet on the lowest floor.

Hide under a heavy work table or under stairs to avoid crumbling walls, chimneys and debris.

Be aware of where heavy objects such as pianos, refrigerators and beds sit on floors above, and don’t go under them.

The bathtub and commode are anchored into the ground and sometimes are the only things left standing after a storm. Get into a the bathtub with a cushion or heavy blankets over you.

If there is no downstairs bathroom, and closets are full, a hallway may be the next best shelter.

In a pinch, put a metal trash container over your head to protect against flying debris.

FACTORIES, SHOPPING CENTERS, CHURCHES, THEATERS

Again, interior hallways and rooms on the lowest floor are best if you unable to reach a tornado shelter.

Avoid areas with wide, free-span roofs in theaters, auditoriums and warehouses. Get under a sturdy table and use your arms to protect your head and neck. Crouch down and cover your head. Stay away from windows and outside walls.

In churches or theaters, get under seats or pews, protecting your head with your arms.

SCHOOLS

Schools should have safety plans and conduct frequent tornado drills.

Schools without shelters or basements should use interior rooms and hallways on the lowest floor away from windows.

Rooms with large roof spans such as gymnasiums, cafeterias and auditoriums offer little or no protection from tornadoes, although some Wichita schools do have sturdy roofs, county officials said.

Students and staff should sit facing an interior wall, elbows to knees and hands over the back of heads.

These shelters are accessible to the public if the school is open and people arrive before the shelter is locked down. All schools have secondary shelter areas that are available to those who arrive after the shelters are locked.

The National Weather Service recommends that schools keep children at the school beyond regular hours if a tornado is in the area.

It also recommends that school bus drivers identify protective areas along their routes where they and their passengers can take cover in case of a tornado.

MOBILE HOMES

Mobile homes aren’t safe, even if securely tied down. Residents should abandon them and go to the nearest sturdy building or shelter immediately.

OUTDOORS

Go to the basement of a nearby sturdy building or lie flat in a ditch or low-lying area. The National Weather Service recommends that if you are outside and can’t get to a sturdy building or low-lying area, go to a vehicle, buckle the seat belt and drive to the nearest shelter, following guidelines detailed above. On water, tornadoes become water spouts and pose a danger to boaters.

Boaters need to ask themselves: “Do I really want to be boating on a day when there’s a really good chance of severe weather?” Duncan said. They also are in danger of lightning from the storms. Boaters should get off the water at the first sign of a storm.

NURSING HOMES

The obvious problem in nursing homes: “Realistically there’s no way you can move 25 to 50 people out of a building and move them somewhere else in a tornado warning. It would be impossible,” Crosby said.

In the case of multi-story homes, people should get to the lowest level and find an interior room away from windows and outside walls.

Mobility-impaired residents should be moved out of their rooms into a hallway to avoid flying glass and outside walls.